


Let's dance

by assasinduckie



Series: No words needed [8]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, NOTwallowinginthepain, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:20:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25949509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/assasinduckie/pseuds/assasinduckie
Summary: Roy rememorates Hughes wedding.
Relationships: Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Series: No words needed [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1790185
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Let's dance

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my attempt at writting something that is Royai and NOT SAD.  
> It's also part of a series where a try to fill in the blanks of Roy and Riza's beautiful and heartbreaking relationship!  
> Hope you enjoy!

Roy woke up. The light was getting in through the window. Which probably meant he was late, since it was winter, and the sun only came up by the time he was supposed to be out of the door and heading to work. But still he stayed there. Just for a moment. He had had the most wonderful dream. And the best part of it, it was that it wasn’t a dream at all. It was a memory.

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Hughes had come to see him in person to deliver the invitation. He wanted to make sure it didn’t get lost in the mail or something like that, but it was probably just to brag about his soon to be wife. Which he did. Extensively. Engagement photos and all.

But really, he couldn’t complain, because the impromptu visit had caused the following interaction between Maes Hughes and his newest addition to the team, Riza Hawkeye:

“OH! If it isn’t Hawkeye herself, the most feared sniper in Amestris! What are you doing here? Did Roy finally take my advice and ask you out?” to which Riza had freezed up, mid-way to a handshake, and Roy had to contain his desire to kill the man. Instead, he said

“ _Warrant Officer_ Hawkeye has transferred to my team recently, if that’s what you are asking.” infusing every word of intention and looking at him as if to say **I’m warning you**.

“Oh well, that’s good news, I guess. You’ll need good people by your side” said Maes, finally a bit more serious, but still a spark of mischief on his eyes. Hawkeye had her eyes fixed on him. Surely, she was wondering if Hughes meant what she thought he meant. “Since I have you here, would you like coming to my wedding with my beautiful Gracia next month?” to this Hawkeye opened her eyes big, clearly caught by surprise.

“oh, sir, thank you but you don’t have to invite me, truly…” But Hughes seemed to have made the decision already and was writing her name on a blank invitation. Jesus, did he carry those around with him just in case?

“Nonsense! I’m making a point about inviting everyone that heard me talk about her while on the field, so that you get to meet her. You know, everyone that made it back...” his look got lost for a bit while he scribbled Riza’s name on a paper with a list of other names (clearly he had been delivering invitations all day). He seemed to snap back to reality suddenly and said, smirking like only him could, ”Your welcome by the way. Also, I mean to show all of you lone wolves the wonder that marriage is.” he added, winking an eye at both Riza and Roy.

Roy smirked, and even Riza allowed herself to smile a bit.

“Guess I’ll see you there then, Sir. Thank you again for the invite.”

Hughes seemed quite happy with himself while he said his goodbyes and announced it was getting late and Gracia would be waiting for him to go out for dinner. He was determined to keep the romance alive he informed them.

Once he was gone, silence fell between them, as Riza kept barely smiling towards the door. The sun setting lighted her hair to make it look like gold, and Roy couldn’t help but to stare for a bit at how damned beautiful she was. Eventually he pulled himself together and announced it was probably time to head home.

They had stayed working late, both of them. Hughes had known he could find him there at those hours because it was a habit got him. What he hadn’t mention on their phone conversations was that lately, his new subordinate had been staying late with him. It’s not like they would do anything, or even talk to each other. But they would work in silence next to each other in their own desks, until one of them announced they were leaving and the other usually followed. Then they would interact briefly until they got out of the building and went different ways.

The only time Roy had dared to ask about her long hours, careful in phrasing it in a way that conveyed that in no way he meant the question like a critique, she had just answered she was getting used to the administrative part of the work, that she hadn’t had a chance to get too familiar with while at the academy, and then the war. She had also mentioned that she didn’t like taking the work home, like so many other’s did when they didn’t manage to finish it during the set hours, because she found the small office and her little desk quite peaceful and far much more comfortable than the kitchen table at her tiny one bedroom apartment.

He liked to think he had some part in making it a peaceful and comfortable space for her.

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When the day came, he was much more excited and curious than he should have been. But he hadn’t had the chance to see her out of uniform in years now. Even at their most recent… encounters, which where months away now, she had kept most of her clothes on. And they weren’t very pleasant memories to begin with.

He mostly pretended like they hadn’t happened, because that was their unspoken agreement since she started working for him. But also, because it made him sad to think that even though he would have wanted those moments and the previous ones to bring them closer, it just felt like they had done each other more bad than good. He knew that wasn’t entirely truth, it wasn’t the sex what had given him the night terrors. But he had found himself unattracted by the idea of physical contact ever since. He wondered if she was experiencing the same difficulties as him.

In some ways the only truly untainted memories he had of them where from their childhood, but he felt like they could wear down if he brought them back to mind too often. Which was a really stupid thought, that’s not really how memories work. But still, he kept them safe and away and only revisited them when he was feeling particularly sad. In his most hopeful moments, he imagined that she also found comfort in their shared happy memories.

He got there early because Maes had asked him to, and he found himself palming the back of a happy teared eyed Hughes for the hours before they went to the registry.

There wasn’t going to be a lot happening after. They couldn’t actually afford a party and they weren’t very religious people. But they had borrowed the house of one of Gracia’s uncle or something like that, which apparently had a really big backyard and there was going to be a band ( some friend of Mae’s cousin that swore that he knew enough songs to keep them busy for a couple hours) and then there was going to be some food, mostly cooked by Gracia herself and a couple of friends and family that had offered a helping hand, the days previous. Hughes had been in charge of the decorating of the garden. Apparently, he had been making paper garlands all night through last week. All in all, it was still a simple event, even if half the militia was invited.

The bride and groom had stayed at different houses so that they could meet at the front steps of the court. Roy’s job was to drive Mae there on time and so, always obedient to his duties, when it was shy to 45 minutes for the set hour, he began the job of making Maes’s sobs of happiness stop.

“What would Gracia say if in all of your photos you appear with your eyes all puffed and red?” finally did the trick and they were on the car perfectly on time, with Maes applying cold used teabags to his eyes to depuff them, as a desperate call to Roy’s aunt had informed him that could help.

It was only a 5-minute drive, mostly for the effect of stepping out of the car to see Gracia waiting at the steps. And there she was, with a simple, a-line cut mid length dress that modestly hugged her figure. She also had a bouquet of wild flowers with her, but that was it. Roy could see that Maes was having trouble keeping the tears in while he approached her. They were both smiling big. Roy didn’t even realise he was too.

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Roy didn’t see her until they were leaving the court after the ceremony. She had probably arrived later than him and sat at the back, and he hadn’t dare turn his head around to look for her. It had occurred to him that maybe she hadn’t come, and the thought had caused him much more despair than he wanted it to. He couldn’t keep thinking about her like that, she had made it clear after the…back incident, the last day of Ishval, that they would no more see each other like that. And now they also had to adhere to the rules of the militia, more so if they were really going to get to the top like they had set to do. So, he really ought to get his shit together and at least keep it platonic.

But then he saw her. Simple blue dress, fitted, with a slit on one side. It was a really similar colour to the uniform but everything else was much much better. She looked undeniably beautiful, and the sight of her made his heart skip a bit.

When their eyes met, she smiled a bit and waved a hand at him, before moving with the crowd that was heading to the reception place, a couple blocks away. He was the designed driver for the happy couple, who smooched all the way there like teenagers in love. Which wasn’t far off, they were both very young and certainly in love. He made a disapproving face to Hughes when they got out of the car, but he was actually feeling quite good. Their happiness was infectious.

Everyone that was there seemed genuinely happy for them, but most importantly, they seemed ready to celebrate. A good number of them were army people that had been in Ishval and seemed to appreciate the opportunity to just have a good time. They were all happily chatting away near the food tables.

Roy spotted Riza, who seemed to have bumped into someone she knew and was involved in some courteous light conversation. He tried to make his way there, but he was called by Hughes and brought to a corner where a microphone had been set. Where they had gotten that relic from, he had no idea, but apparently, he was supposed to announce the first dance on it.

And so, he did, with his best smile, and the couple danced happily in the centre of the garden with all their guests around them, to the sound of some old traditional song being butchered by a group of young man playing various instruments.

When the dance ended, Gracia’s parents were called to the “dance floor” and so were some other family members that had come as couples. Then both Maes and Gracia started partnering people up and Roy felt a mix of fear and excitement in his stomach when Maes headed his way, a suspicious grin on his face. Sure enough, he was placed with Riza.

They smiled nervously at each other.

“Colonel” she said, maybe to acknowledge and remind him that he was her boss above all. But if it was meant to put some distance between them it didn’t really work. He rather liked hearing the title from her lips.

“Warrant Officer” he offered back, just like he offered his hand. She took it without a word, and they were soon enough twirling away to some unrecognisable music. He had one hand on her waist, and she had one on his shoulder, but they still kept the distance.

“We should probably keep things professional; we don’t want anybody here getting the wrong idea.” Was what Hawkeye said next, and Roy would have thought he was being told he was overstepping if it wasn’t for the mischievous tone she used and the crooked smile she was sporting. She was just teasing him.

“Well of course. We would never want any of these people thinking we have a past or a deeper relationship of some kind.”

“No, of course not sir, nothing further from the truth.”  
“We have to make sure they understand we have nothing else than a strictly professional relationship.”  
“Why would they even think otherwise?” she answered, a pretended indignation on her voice.

They both let out a laugh. It was so easy to fall back into this dynamic, the one they often adopted as kids, that it felt like no time had gone by.

He was trying to find a way to mention this without breaking the rules when she said

“This reminds me of the backyard of my father’s house.” very quietly. “Those trees over there… I believe we had the same ones. Of course, it never had this much people on it. Or laughter”

“or such wonderful music” added Roy, causing them both to covertly laugh again.

“They are really… trying.” She said, stifling another laugh while looking towards the corner where the “musicians” were playing.

“I have no doubt they are giving it their best shot, but that’s what concerns me the most” said Roy, unable to stop himself. Riza rewarded him with some more warm laughter.

Then they went quiet. The song had ended, and they both knew it was probably best if they each went their own ways, or at least stopped dancing. They might have been joking but there were certainly people there that could get the wrong impression about their current relationship and then pass it on as an innocent comment that could cause quite some harm in the long run.

But they didn’t do that. They just stopped dancing like everyone else and looked at the musicians waiting for the next song, like it was the most natural thing in the world. And it really felt like it. To be near her. To hold her in his arms.

The new song was a ballad (he thought, mostly because people started slow dancing, but the music was truly unrecognisable), and many couples hugged closely and began slowly turning. Roy felt his hand on Riza’s waist sweating, but he didn’t want to move it even an inch. So, they just began to slowly twirl too, looking at the floor, or their hands, or just anything that wasn’t their faces.

But then, once they realise no one was looking at them, nor cared, their eyes finally met.

Roy wanted to say something but nothing appropriate came to mind. Riza also opened her mouth a couple times just to close it again and swallow. Slowly, cautiously, she gifted him a smile. He answered back with another one. The silence that followed was a comfortable one.

Like a little oasis, he felt so grateful to be there in that moment, just dancing with her at a friend’s wedding, just two old friends with some tumultuous history that was water under the bridge.

He realized that this was going to be one of those memories. One of those that he deemed so precious he tried not to think too much of, scared that it would lose its shine. But it never did.

Many years later, even with the added nostalgia that he felt over the emptiness that Hughes had left in his life, it was a happy memory and it gave him the strength to get up on a cold winter morning and rush to work so Hawkeye wouldn’t scold him too bad.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! I had fun writting it tho i had to stop myself from adding unnecesary painful comments here and there hehehe.  
> Thank you again to my lovely Beta Millie_Jean for being the absolute best!!!!   
> Hope you enjoyed it and if you did and would like to leave kudos and a kind comment, i would really appreciate! Thank you!


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